Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • “Hope that results from faith in Jesus may be defined as ability to see a new reality. To long for a different world and behave as if we were already in it. Waiting on Christ is never passive, never simply a feeling.”

    Mennonite World Conference general secretary César García offered this message in an ecumenical prayer event for Ukraine on Ash Wednesday, 2 March 2022 organized by Lutheran World Federation (LWF), World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), World Methodist Council (WMC), Conference of European Churches (CEC), the Anglican Communion and MWC. More than 3 000 people attended from 80 countries.

    Peacemaking is hard work, said Rev. Dr Hanns Lessing, WCRC acting secretary, like turning swords into ploughshares (Isaiah 2:4). “We must use our resources to bring life.” With the lament from Psalm 130, he also remembered Myanmar, Yemen, Sudan, Syria and other places experiencing the hardships of war.

    Church leaders in Ukraine spoke of struggling to obtain food and supplies, to keep people safe amid shelling and invading forces, and dealing with refugees (in areas farther from the front).

    “We don’t know if we should leave our city. Now, we stay; we stay strong with God,” said a Mennonite Brethren pastor from Berdiansk.

    “When times of trial comes, spiritual gifts start showing up,” said a Father from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate. “The image of God in us in society is being awakened to serve community.”

    He also called for honesty and discernment about “who real enemy is. May we still be peacebuilders in times of trial.”

    The event closed with an intercessory prayer liturgy as participants gave “amens” in the chat.

    MWC members from Burkina Faso, Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, the Netherlands, USA and beyond joined the prayer time.

    “This is our part as a peace church,” says Agus Mayanto, MWC regional representative for Asia, who invited leaders in his region to attend.

    In response to crises that face Anabaptist-Mennonite communities around the world, MWC sends letters and Deacons delegation visits and offers pastoral letters and calls to prayer.

    Click to see the intercessory prayer liturgy

     

    Click here to view the prayer event.

  • Doit-on bénir ou maudire le travail ?  

    Cet article est né d’une réflexion relative à l’article 16 « Le travail, le repos et le jour du Seigneur » de la confession de foi de la Conférence canadienne des Églises des Frères mennonites.  

    Notre vécu au travail se situe généralement entre deux pôles : une grande satisfaction et un sentiment d’accomplissement, ou un rejet avec le désir de tout laisser tomber et de s’en échapper. Le travail devient alors une source de stress qui nuit à notre bien-être. Et cette situation peut être aggravée par les contraintes engendrées par la pandémie alors que nous devons assurer notre existence.  

    Le constat  

    Dans la société humaine, le travail revêt une importance capitale. Il nous garde de l’oisiveté, de l’isolement et il nous met à l’abri de la pauvreté grâce au revenu qu’il procure. Il nous donne un sens de réalisation personnelle et communautaire. Il n’est donc pas étonnant que travailler soit devenu la norme de notre société.  

    Cependant, le travail ne se borne pas, comme l’affirme Voltaire, à éloigner de nous l’ennui, le vice et le besoin. Il peut dans certains cas générer des aspects négatifs comme la course aux salaires élevés ou l’exploitation des uns par d’autres. De plus, on ne choisit pas toujours son travail, et il n’est pas rare qu’on en ressente un total désintérêt qui peut être aggravé par le caractère pénible ou simplement répétitif de ce dernier. Et que dire des comportements inadéquats au travail : harcèlement, manipulation, relations exécrables, querelles ou jalousie ! Enfin, les notions d’efficacité, de productivité et de rentabilité sont si prisées aujourd’hui que le travail peut conduire à l’épuisement professionnel ou burn out, et même au suicide. Bref, le travail qui devrait être une source de satisfaction semble ne pas toujours tenir ses promesses. Dans ces conditions, comment comme chrétiens, pouvons-nous contrer les désagréments ? Existe-t-il une spiritualité du travail ? Quelle est l’intention de Dieu pour le travail afin que nous puissions nous y conformer ?  

    Travail et spiritualité  

    Il est de coutume dans les milieux chrétiens de séparer travail et spiritualité, et de voir les moments de travail comme des moments d’activité séculière de bien moindre importance que le temps passé dans les pratiques spirituelles. Cette dichotomie n’a pas lieu d’être. Les Écritures enseignent qu’il y a une imbrication entre le travail et le spirituel. Dans Genèse 1, Dieu transforme un monde désordonné, vide et informe en une terre où émerge la lumière, les eaux et une multitude de créatures vivantes. Ainsi, le travail relève de la nature même de Dieu, et va de pair avec la révélation de ce que Dieu est. Du récit de la création, nous apprenons que le travail se fait par étapes, qu’il doit être évalué à chaque stade, que son produit final doit être entretenu et qu’il nécessite du repos.  

    Dieu a créé l’humain à son image et lui confie un monde à maîtriser et un jardin à entretenir. L’humain peut à son tour « créer » ce qui n’existait pas auparavant. Le travail s’inscrit dans sa nature humaine et à ce titre, il en tire joie et intimité avec son Créateur quand il travaille en relation avec lui. La relation avec Dieu est en fait la clé de voûte de l’existence humaine. À travers elle, l’humain réalise pleinement que sa valeur procède de son Créateur de qui il détient son existence. Il est aimé de Dieu et destiné à manifester sa gloire (Es 43.6-7).  

    Après que les relations entre Dieu et l’humain se sont brouillées, la situation a nettement changé. Le travail a dévié de son but originel. Il reste jusqu’à un certain degré une source d’accomplissement, mais il devient plus pénible et surtout indispensable à la survie de l’humain comme nous le rappelle Pr 6.10- 11. Mais plus encore, l’homme séparé de Dieu se tourne vers d’autres expédients pour se valoriser, et le travail en est un… avec parfois les travers que nous avons évoqués plus haut !  

    Que faire donc ?  

    Ce n’est qu’en Dieu que le travail reprend son vrai sens. En même temps qu’il s’inscrit dans le fonctionnement humain défini dès les origines par Dieu, il sert aussi à manifester son règne et à l’étendre à l’endroit où Il nous place. Bien faire son travail, dans une attitude de respect et de bienveillance envers les autres, permet de refléter le caractère divin. Il est possible de se retrouver dans un contexte de travail difficile, et qui ne s’améliore guère malgré nos bonnes dispositions et notre bonne volonté. Il devient alors crucial pour recevoir réconfort et instructions, de se tourner vers Dieu qui nous donnera sa paix dans la situation, ou nous conduira vers un autre emploi. Quoi qu’il en soit, c’est sur lui que nous devons avant tout compter pour toute chose. Le livre de l’Ecclésiaste nous rappelle la vanité de nos titres, de nos talents ou de nos réalisations. Dieu demeure celui qui pourvoit à nos besoins et de qui nous tirons la vie, le mouvement et l’être. Et notre ultime objectif est d’œuvrer non pour ce qui périt, mais pour ce qui est éternel (Jean 6.27). 

    —JEAN BIERI, professeur associé de l’Université Laval et chargé de cours à l’École de Théologie Évangélique du Québec (ETEQ) 

    CET ARTICLE ET LE RÉSEAU MENNONITE FRANCOPHONE
    Cet article est publié dans le cadre du Réseau mennonite francophone (RMF) et paraît aussi dans Le Lien entre nous (Québec), sur le site de la Conférence Mennonite Suisse (www.menno.ch) et sur celui de la Conférence Mennonite Mondiale (www.mwc-cmm.org).
    Coordination de la publication des articles : Jean Paul Pelsy.

  • How will we gather for Assembly 17? The Executive Committee has opted for limited on-site attendees and many options for online attendees at the hybrid Assembly 17. MWC Assembly is hosted by the three Indonesian Anabaptist-Mennonite synods in Central Java, Indonesia, 5-10 July 2022.

    MWC Assembly 17 in Indonesia will welcome 700 on-site participants with the option of additional Indonesian guests for opening night and closing service. Due to COVID-19 regulations, 700 is the number currently possible.

    Registration for online participation opened in December 2021. Registration for on-site Assembly will start 8 March 2022 at 22:00 Western Indonesian time. 

    Mennonite World Conference’s Assembly, which normally gathers thousands of Anabaptists from around the globe every six years, was postponed from 2021 to 2022 due to the pandemic.

    Program

    Sangkakala Seminary (STT), a JKI seminary located outside Salatiga, will host most of the plenary sessions. In addition, “satellite” meeting places at four local congregations will live-stream evening plenaries, while the international choir sings at STT. The closing service will be celebrated at JKI Holy Stadium in Semarang.

    “This way, online participants can ‘travel’ with us to different places in Indonesia,” says Liesa Unger, MWC Chief International Events Officer.

    • Most of the afternoon activities — including workshops, Global Church Village, fun and games, and children’s program — and lodging will take place at two hotels in Salatiga.
    • Morning and late-night youth program will also take place at the hotel’s indoor and outdoor venues.

    Registration categories

    • A little less than half of the 700 registration spaces for on-site Assembly are reserved for Indonesian registrants, divided up between full participation and daily participation.
    • The remaining registration spaces will be divided equally between the four registration categories (based on national GDP), to give members from each region opportunity to participate. [Click here to view rate categories]

    “This mode for Assembly increases complexities in planning, but offers more opportunity for local church members to engage with international visitors, creates more opportunities for online participants to get to know Indonesia and to respond faster to possible health concerns,” says Liesa Unger.

    Global Youth Summit

    The Global Youth Summit (GYS) on the theme “Life in the Spirit: Learn, Serve, Worship” will be attended by GYS delegates and 60 full-time participants 1-4 July 2022 in Salatiga, Central Java. Local Indonesian young adults can join for the evening worship organized by GYS delegates of different continents.

    General Council and other meetings

    • The General Council meetings that precede the Assembly will take place online.

    “With additional visa required and quarantine periods changing frequently, the financial risk of ballooning lodging costs and rescheduling flights for more than 100 General Council delegates is too great,” says César García, MWC general secretary.

    • Meetings involving the Executive Committee, Commission chairs and secretaries and MWC staff will take place in Indonesia. These groups, which normally meet face-to-face, have not been together in person since before the pandemic began.

    Further information regarding workshops, network meetings, Assembly Scattered tours and lodging options will be posted on the registration site.

    “We want as many people as possible to come,” says Paulus Widjaja, chair of the National Advisory Committee in Indonesia. “We first dreamed of it in Paraguay in 2009. The pandemic discouraged us but we are still very enthusiastic to bring people to Indonesia.”

  • Dear Patriarch Kirill,

    Greetings in the name of Jesus from Mennonite World Conference (a Global Communion representing Anabaptist-Mennonites in fifty-eight nations). We lament the current violence between people of Russia and people of Ukraine. It must grieve the heart of God when the body of Christ becomes divided, especially when that is by war.

    As Russia unleashes weapons upon Ukraine, we call on you as a Christian leader in Russia to speak and act boldly for the gospel of peace. Regardless of any rationale given for the attack upon Ukraine, this is an immoral action that Christians everywhere must condemn.

    “My kingdom is not from this world,” Jesus said. “If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting…” (John 18:36). When Peter pulled out a sword, Jesus told him to put it away.

    You are in a difficult situation, Patriarch Kirill. Anabaptist-Mennonites pray for you and for all Christians in Russia and Ukraine. The church may not be able to stop this fratricidal war, but we must protest when one nation threatens or attacks another.

    “We must obey God rather than man,” the Apostle Peter declared when on trial. Today, Christians on both sides of this confrontation are in an hour of trial. Will we give allegiance to God’s kingdom instead of bowing to the gods of nation, empire, and war? God grant you courage to be a peacemaker as Jesus taught and modeled.

    Maranatha!
    Come, Lord Jesus.

    Fraternally, in Christ,

    J. Nelson Kraybill, MWC president

  • How does God reveal God’s glory to humanity?

    1. Through the universe.

    Along with the psalmist, the Jesus follower confesses with a heart filled with awe: “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1). The Jesus follower exalts the greatness of God: “LORD my God, You are great” (Psalm 104:1b).

    The psalmist expresses admiration in Psalm 104 for the divine majesty that radiated through the processes in nature, even though the ancient poet expresses it in the language of mythology and cosmology. For the psalmist, the variety of creatures that fill the earth expresses the wisdom of God. His admiration for the glory of God made him want to rejoice in God (v. 34). He even wants God to rejoice over all the fruits of God’s work (v. 31). When the divine glory, that is, the majesty and wisdom of God, covers the heart of a believer, the Jesus follower rejoices in God. Furthermore, the believer wants to unite with the joy of God over all the divine works that have revealed the glory of God.

    Thus, for a follower of Jesus, the universe is the theatrum gloriae dei, the stage on which the glory of God is presented, as said by John Calvin, an early Reformed theologian.

    2. Through Jesus Christ.

    The follower of Jesus understands that Jesus Christ was the Word made flesh. Through the Word, God made all things (John 1:3); the heavens and the earth and all that is in them (Genesis 1:1-2:4a). Then the Word was incarnated, made flesh in Jesus Christ (John 1:14). He who was “in the beginning” (John 1.1) and “in the beginning was with God” (John 1:2), enjoys the deepest fellowship with God (John 1.18). Jesus has come into the world as a human to interpret God (John 1:18) for humanity, that is, to reveal God’s heart to human beings.

    The whole life of Jesus reveals that God is willing to be Father/Mother/Parent for humans. By God’s willingness to become a Father/Mother, God reveals God’s grace and truth in the life of Jesus to humanity, accepting humans as God’s children. Whoever accepts Jesus Christ becomes a child of God. Whoever believes in the name of Jesus knows for sure that God has become Father/Mother. The glory of God, revealed in Jesus, is the glory that invites everyone to experience God’s grace, and the truth that God is completely trustworthy.

    3. Through the church.

    Based on Christ’s victory (through his death and resurrection) over the powers and principalities, the church is the mode Jesus Christ exists in the world today. Christ, who “ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty” to reign as the Messiah, is no longer physically present in the world. According to God’s plan, Jesus is present through the church, which is “his body” (Ephesians 1:23), meaning the representation of Christ or sign of Christ’s presence in the world.

    Through the church, Christ continues to “preach peace” (Ephesians 2:17; Ephesians 6:15). Through the church, Christ also proclaims victory over the powers of the world (Ephesians 3:10), over the structures that make humans exploit, oppress and marginalize each other, even plunder and destroy nature!

    Sociologically, the church, which is called the Body of Christ, is a community. The church is a community made up of people who through faith (and believers’ baptism) have committed their life (and death) to Jesus Christ. It is remarkable that Christ presents himself in the world through “the sociological.” How can the “sociological” represent Christ in the world, be a sign of his presence that greets the world with peace, and proclaims his victory over the powers? The answer is by the work of the Holy Spirit.

    Jesus Christ, the Messiah, has poured out his Spirit to empower the church. First of all, in union with Christ, every believer or follower of Christ is united to one another. Unity has a concrete form, namely a community. That’s the church. Then the Holy Spirit, who indwells every follower of Christ and is present in the church:

    • forms the character of Christ in each follower of Christ (Galatians 5:22-23a);
    • gives spiritual gifts to serve and build one another up (1 Corinthians 12:3-13); and
    • provides love, wisdom and courage to preach the gospel of peace and to live authentically as people who have been freed by Christ from the powers that exploit, oppress, and marginalize (Ephesians 3:10; 6:15; 2 Timothy 1:7).

    Obviously, the Holy Spirit empowers the church to truly represent Christ in the world, to be a sign of Christ’s presence that greets the world with peace, and announces Christ’s victory over the powers. Jesus himself once called his followers “the light of the world”, and “the city on the hill”, and “the lamp on the lampstand” (Matthew 5:14- 15). Through the beautiful works done together by Jesus followers in the church, many will glorify God, their Father.

    This is how we understand these “beautiful works”: empowered by the Holy Spirit, the church proclaims the gospel of peace and people live authentically, having been freed by Christ from the powers that exploit, oppress and marginalize. In this way, the glory of God is revealed.

    Equally important, we believe that in Christ the purpose of God’s call to Abraham was fulfilled. In the story about Abraham (Genesis 12-25), we find that God promised him three things: descendants, land and fellowship. All three served one purpose: that Abraham and his descendants would be a blessing to all the peoples of the earth. We also find these three promises and the same purpose in the story about Isaac (Genesis 26-27) and the story about Jacob (Genesis 28-35).

    The apostle Paul argued that, in Christ, the seed of Abraham reached its fulfillments, and Abraham’s blessing reached the Gentiles (Galatians 3:14,16). All around the world we share in that blessing, which is to become children of Abraham and children of God, “through faith in Christ Jesus.” The implications are very important. As we read in Galatians 3:26-28, in the church there is no more racism (“no Jews or Greeks”), no class distinctions (“no slaves or independent”) and no sexism (no male or female”). All have been united with or in Christ by the Holy Spirit through baptism. All are children of Abraham and children of God.

    Together, we are sisters and brothers – equals – called to love and serve one another, and to build up the church. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we work together to make this a reality, so that there really is no racism, class difference, or sexism in the church. This is an example of authentic living, as people who have been freed by Christ from the powers that exploit, oppress and marginalize. This is the testimony from the “community of the free” of Christ’s victory over the powers! This makes the preaching of the gospel of peace meaningful and impactful on the world, because it has the weight of “word and deed.”

    The truth about the church, which is the core of the practice of following Jesus together, is the truth about the revelation of God’s glory. God revealed God’s glory to humanity through the universe, and through Jesus Christ, and through the church, which is the community of Jesus followers, namely us – we who follow Jesus together!

    —Rudolfus Antonius (Pdt. Rudiyanto) is the pastor of the GKMI (Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia) congregation in Yogyakarta.

     

    Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday worship resources available here
    #AnabaptistWorldFellowshipSunday #mwcmm  #awfs

  • Beloved sisters and brothers in Ukraine:

    Today, war has come to your homeland.  

    We grieve the danger, death and destruction that this plague brings.  

    We stand in solidarity with you as persons of shared faith and hope.  

    In our prayers we lift you to the sovereign God who says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned” (Isaiah 43:1-2).  

    Sisters and brothers, you are in the fire, and our hearts ache.  

    We call on Anabaptist-Mennonites around the world, and all who confess Christ as Lord, to join in praying for the peace of Ukraine. We grieve violence and we reject efforts by any nation to dominate another. We pray for leaders of Ukraine, Russia and allied nations as they respond to or participate in this crisis.  

    For the love of God and the sanctity of life, we ask that all combatants stop the bloodshed and seek the welfare of all people in Ukraine, Europe and Russia. 

    We stand in solidarity with you as you cooperate with other denominations and local governments to provide food, shelter and medications to those in need.  

    Brother Roman Rakhuba, leader of Associated Mennonite Brethren Churches in Ukraine, we hear your call for spiritual and financial support. We applaud the vision and courage of God’s people in Ukraine, and will look for ways we can help sustain you and your ministry. 

    As stated in the MWC Shared Convictions, we believe that the “Spirit of Jesus empowers us to trust God in all areas of life so we become peacemakers who renounce violence, love our enemies, seek justice, and share our possessions with those in need.” 

    “For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child has been born to us…and he is named…Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:5-6). 

    Living God, may your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as in heaven!  

    Amen.

    J. Nelson Kraybill, MWC president 

    In 2019: MB leader Artūras Rulinskas of Lithuania, pastor Albert Xomiak, pastor Alexey Yuditsenko and Bogdan Petliksky, a 22 year-old student and cook, whose papers give him chaplaincy privileges among Ukrainian soldiers. Photo: J. Nelson Kraybill

    As a sign of global solidarity with the people and churches of Ukraine, Mennonite World Conference joins the Conference of European Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Communion of Reformed Churches, and the World Methodist Council to issue an invitation to an online prayer service for Ukraine on Ash Wednesday – 2 March 2022 at 16:00 UTC. (See chart below for local time.)  

    The prayer will include listening to voices from Ukraine. 

    “We invite Anabaptist-Mennonites to join with brothers and sisters from other communions around the world to raise our voices in prayer,” says César García, MWC general secretary. 
     
    To join the prayer service at 16:00 UTC on 2 March 2022, register by clicking here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_d04eX7l4S_WEmFBXIV17wQ.

    See invitation from LWF

    Prayers beat swords into plowshares

     

  • Will there be Assembly this summer? Absolutely! Who will attend in Indonesia? Watch for upcoming news.  

    In their February online meeting, the Executive Committee are deciding on the attendance model for Assembly, based on the most current public health information, travel advisories and future projections.  

    “We depend on government decisions regarding visa or quarantine and are committed to creating a safe environment for participants and local churches,” says Liesa Unger, MWC Chief International Events Officer. 

    Mennonite World Conference staff are creating different modes to participate in the Indonesian Assembly. Options will include face-to-face meetings alongside online communion. The hybrid Assembly will bring together Indonesian churches with international participants in many ways.   

    “We pray that a great number of our global family of Anabaptist-Mennonites will choose to participate in the hybrid Assembly this July, in person or online,” says Liesa Unger. “Our Indonesian churches are eager to meet the global Anabaptist-Mennonite family this July to explore what it means to follow Jesus together across barriers.”  

    Watch your email and MWC social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) for this news. 

    Click here to receive a message by email when the announcement is made public.

     

  • “Dad, as an extrovert, was also gentle and compassionate, and took on the role of caregiver to many people throughout his life… He gave generously and regularly with his finances, and had an interest in and desire for all people to live with enough,” says Lorie Yantzi of Tavistock, Ontario, Canada, daughter of Nelson Yantzi.  

    Nelson Yantzi’s family chose to honour their late father, grandfather and great-grandfather by directing his mourners to express sympathy by donating to MWC’s Love Neighbours, Share Vaccines campaign. 

    Mennonite World Conference joins with other faith-based organizations to call its members to share vaccines around the highly interconnected world by donating to the UN’s vaccination program through UNICEF. 

    At publication time, $66 000 had been given in the name of MWC for UNICEF’s campaign for global vaccine equity. 

    By mid-January, the campaign sent more than a billion vaccine doses to 144 countries with a target to deliver more than 4 billion by the end of 2022.  

    More than 5.6 million people in low- and middle-income countries have received a two-dose vaccine. The campaign also supports health care, ensuring the recipient countries have the cold storage, transportation systems and trained personnel in place to distribute the vaccines when they arrive.  

    In Africa, the average vaccination rate is only 8 percent, compared with 60 percent in high income countries. In Tanzania, home to more than 42,000 Mennonites, only 3 percent of the population has been vaccinated.  

    Home Street Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, Canada. Photo: Brenda Suderman

    Home Street Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, responded to MWC’s call to Love Neighbours, Share Vaccines over the Advent season. The congregation covered their church walls – one and a half times around – with cut outs representing how many people could be vaccinated with the money raised.  

    “Thank you for challenging us and remind us about our global neighbours,” says church leader Gordon Janzen.  

    “The threat of the pandemic will not be over for some of us until it is over for all of us. Vaccines play an important role in lessening that threat end and enabling us to gather in person again,” says J Ron Byler, MWC interim chief development officer. “We are grateful for the donations from our members who bring that goal closer as we look ahead to MWC’s global Assembly in Indonesia.  

    As church members reflect on Christ’s humble sacrifice for others, MWC invites you to consider supporting our global family through our Love Neighbours, Share Vaccines campaign.  

    Love Neighbours, Share Vaccines

     

  • “Sometimes our faith community seems small and insular; [celebrating Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday] helped open eyes to the global family,” says Chani Wiens. The math teacher and chapel coordinator at UMEI Christian High School in Leamington, Ontario, Canada, used the Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday worship resource in a chapel service. 

    “Most of our students from Mennonite congregations have Russian Mennonite heritage so it’s great to show them how prevalent Anabaptism is around the world and that they are part of a large family,” says Chani Wiens. 

    MWC leaders preached in many congregations 23 January 2022, offering now-familiar online sermons in locations far from their homes on Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday.  

    It was a gift for Summit Mennonite Church in Ohio to host an MWC speaker, Europe regional representative José Arrais, on Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday says pastor Christine Nafziger. “I felt especially blessed to have a connection with a brother in Christ from across the ocean – such a richness in hearing from his experience,” she says. 

    “When a part of the global church invites me to share about MWC, it energizes me knowing that we are connecting,” says Cynthia Peacock, MWC regional representative for Southern Asia, who spoke at several events over the weekend. “We grow stronger as a family by learning, sharing and walking together to bless and be blessed, extending God’s kingdom on earth.” 

    This year’s Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday theme was “Following Jesus together” – part of the Assembly theme. The resource materials were prepared by the host churches in Indonesia: Gereja Injil Tanah Jawa (GITJ), Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia (GKMI), Jemaat Kristen Indonesia (JKI).  

    Additionally, 33 videos of Scripture reading in 16 languages and greetings from 11 congregations or groups around the world brought global visitors into local congregations across oceans and borders.  

    How did your church or school celebrate Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday? Send us your stories and photos. Say hi to the global family: we welcome your 5-second greeting videos.  

    Want to invite an MWC speaker to your local congregation? Click here to learn more.

    2022 AWFS Submitted Photos

    AWFS materials

     

  • “MWC brings the global church together as a sign of God’s desire for the world and that’s a vision I want to be a part of,” says J Ron Byler. 

    The roster of servants who foster relationships in the global church expands with new faces in these months before Assembly.  

    “I’m excited to have the opportunity to interact with a wider variety of Anabaptists to increase my understanding of what it truly means to be a priesthood of all believers, to discern together in community and to take seriously the biblical call for peace and justice,” says Greg Chandler-Burns. 

    New faces: 

    • J Ron Byler steps into the role of interim Chief Development Officer. He has served staff and volunteer roles with Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite Church USA. He began part-time in January 2022, working from his home in Goshen, Indiana, USA. Ron Byler is a member of Eighth Street Mennonite Church.
    • Greg Chandler Burns joins Ron Byler as information technology and development coordinator in January 2022. He works from the Kitchener office, also offering IT support. He previously served with MCC Ontario. Greg Chandler Burns attends Erb Street Mennonite Church.  
    • Jardely Martínez and Michael Darby serve as co-coordinators of Assembly communications. They previously served with MCC Guatemala and are now based in Colombia. Jardely Martínez is also youth program coordinator for Assembly 17. She is a member of Dios es Amor (Mennonite Brethren) in Bogota, Colombia, and Michael Darby is a member of First Mennonite Church, Iowa City, USA.
    • Jennifer Olivia is serving as an intern on the Assembly communications team, working from her home in Semarang, Indonesia.  

    Farewells: 

    • Shirley Redekop is no longer working as Chief Development Officer as of January 2022, due to a strategic change in MWC’s fundraising approach.* “We extend our thanks to Shirley for bringing her warmth and enthusiasm to serve the global church,” says César García, MWC general secretary. 
    • Elina Ciptadi stepped back from Assembly communications due to other commitments. “We are grateful Elina can continue to offer her communications and cultural expertise to the Assembly team in a volunteer capacity,” says Liesa Unger, Chief International Events Officer. 
    • The term of Bill Braun, Executive Committee member for North America, has ended early. The local congregation of which he is a part (Willow Avenue Mennonite Church) has been suspended from membership in MWC member church U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren. Bill Braun served MWC for many years as General Council delegate and as Executive Committee member from 2015-2021. “We express our immense gratitude for Bill’s commitment and service to our global church. We will miss his gifts and wisdom in the Executive Committee,” says César García, MWC general secretary. 

    “Engaging with the global community is also about connecting with local churches, and I am excited to better understand and communicate the broad perspective of our faith communities, but also an individual, local and unique perspective of what each member brings to the body of Christ,” says Jardely Martínez. 

    *Updated 22 February 2022

  • “How do we amplify voices? How do we nourish acts of resistance already in place?” These questions were raised on 12 October 2021 during “Ubíquese,” a webinar from the Global Anabaptist Peace Network (GAPN). GAPN is an emerging network of peace organizations connected to Mennonite World Conference (MWC).  

    “By choosing the name ubíquese in Spanish (which could be translated as “place yourself” in English), the goal of the webinar was to inspire discussion about what it means to witness to peace in times of the COVID-19 pandemic and in contexts dealing with injustice,” says GAPN coordinator Andres Pacheco Lozano. 

    The webinar had two focal points: past and present injustices against Indigenous peoples in Canada and the recent national protests, cases of police brutality and implementation of peace accords in Colombia.  

    Two peace activists from each context reflected on key challenges for peacebuilding in those realities, on how they were participating in addressing them and on how they envisioned the international community could be in solidarity with these two contexts.  

    “Where there is relationship, real reconciliation happens,” says Adrian Jacobs, Keeper of the Circle of Sandy-Saulteaux Spiritual Centre, Manitoba, Canada (Treaty 1 territory). “When you see suffering, you move.” 

    “We need to prioritize those who are suffering most, those who are most vulnerable,” says Steve Heinrichs, Indigenous-Settler Relations director for Mennonite Church Canada, an MWC member church. “This is an urgent moment in the climate crisis,” he says, where both international and Indigenous Canadian concerns converge. 

    From Colombia, Francisco Mosquera, founder of Edupaz, asked the Anabaptist family for solidarity. He called for a body to monitor the Colombia reality to create a record of action. 

    Angélica Rincón of Justapaz called for solidarity in the form of interaction. “Mutually, we can accompany one another, recognizing skills, wisdom and experiences.”  

    Both organizations are members of the Global Anabaptist Service Network (GASN). 

    The webinar closed with small group discussion about the peace work.  

    At Assembly in July 2022, attendees will have opportunity to attend several workshops conducted by GAPN members.  

    For more information on the GAPN, including a membership application, click here

  • The Executive Committee delegates responsibility to the officers to provide oversight to the life and work of MWC between its annual meetings.

    • president and vice-president elected by the General Council,
    • the general secretary (ex officio) appointed by the General Council
    • a treasurer appointed by the Executive Committee

    An officer must be a member of an MWC member church, and must be approved by his/her member church.

    Officers

    General Secretary: César García

    Congregation: First Mennonite Church, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

    “We are grateful for the gifts we share in our family of faith: missionaries who have given their lives to bear witness to Christ; brothers and sisters willing to serve the needy; teachers who disciple others with their life and character; pastors who care for local congregations; donors who give generously to the work of Christ; peacemakers who model a new way of dealing with conflicts in the manner of Jesus. Our global community is greatly blessed!”
     

    President: J. Nelson Kraybill

    Congregation: Prairie Street Mennonite, Elkhart, Indiana, USA

    “Through MWC relationships, I have seen the greatest hope, deepest faith and most lifegiving Christian community among Christians in places of material or political insecurity. Power and wealth create a false sense of self-sufficiency instead of a bedrock of unshakeable assurance and joy in knowing Jesus.”

     

    Vice-President: Rebecca Osiro

    Congregation: Eastleigh Mennonite Church, Nairobi, Kenya

    “MWC’s genius is fellowship and networking. We share our stories. We come together and find that we are one. We find strength beyond class, beyond status. MWC gives me courage.”
     

     

    Treasurer: Sunoko Lin

    Congregation: Maranatha Christian Fellowship, Reseda, California, USA

    “Serving the global Anabaptist-Mennonite church has deepened my spiritual formation. My prayer for the global church is that God would bring peace, comfort and hope to suffering members of Anabaptist/Mennonite global family impacted by COVID-19. This has brought a great loss: not only human lives but also economic severity in many developing countries. God, have mercy!”

     

    President-elect: Henk Stenvers

    Congregation: Doopsgezinde Gemeente Bussum-Naarden, Netherlands

    “What I have learned through serving the global Anabaptist-Mennonite church is to appreciate the work of the Holy Spirit in all parts of the world, in so many different contexts, creating a wonderful diverse communion.”

     

     

    This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2021.